Former Canyon del Oro standout Blake Martinez, who played four seasons with the Green Bay Packers after starring at Stanford, wrote a personal message on social media today after it was reported he has signed a three-year free-agent deal with the New York Giants.
The Giants and Martinez reportedly agreed to a deal worth $30 million late Monday night, according to ESPN.
“I want to say thank you to Green Bay as a whole, the Packers, the fans, and my teammates/coaches for giving me the opportunity to start and live out my dream of playing in the NFL!” Martinez wrote on his Facebook page. “I wouldn’t be where I am today with out your help and kindness throughout these last four years!
“I was so honored to wear the green and gold and will always have a place in my heart for Green Bay! I was a 4th round draft pick that didn’t know what to expect but so many leaders/coaches on this team helped me whenever I asked for it and the fans welcomed me with open arms!”
Martinez was on the AllSportsTucson.com All-Decade (2010-19) Team for Defense.
As a senior at CDO in 2011 — coached by Dustin Peace — Martinez was one of the best two-way football players in the state. He rushed for 726 yards on 74 carries with 17 touchdowns, and out of the backfield, he caught 20 passes for 307 yards. At linebacker, he posted 118 tackles, with 18 for loss.
In his two-year varsity career with the Dorados, he compiled 247 tackles with 34 for loss, including 16.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hurries. He also had three interceptions, six fumble recoveries and five forced fumbles.
He was a significant part of the 2010 team along with Ka’Deem Carey that went 13-1 and played in the Class 4A, Division I state championship game against Scottsdale Saguaro. In that year, on offense, Martinez also had 10 touchdown receptions with 24 catches overall for 555 yards.
The 2016 fourth-round pick by Green Bay has ranked first (155), second (144) and second (144) in tackles in the NFL over the past three years.
Showing his toughness, Martinez, 26, played the second half of the 2019 season with a broken bone in his hand.
“I put it all out on the line for this team and community and you guys made it easy with you overwhelming support everyday before practice, game, and coming into the facility!” Martinez said. “I’m truly blessed to have been able to say I played for such an historic franchise and I can’t thank everyone enough for all the help! So excited for the future and I hope to come play at Lambeau again soon!”
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon.
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